• 대한약침학회지
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.33-40
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• 2013

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the amino-acid compositions of pharmacopuncture extracts taken from the body and from the tail of Buthus martensii Karsch, which are frequently prescribed in Oriental medicine. Methods: Amino acids in hot water and 70% ethanol extracts taken from the scorpion's whole body and from its tail were screened by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experiments were performed with linearity, precision and accuracy. Results: The results of the amino-acid-composition analysis showed that the Buthus martensii Karsch extracts contained various amino acids such as aspartic acid, histidine, alanine, tyrosine, and cystine. The amino-acid analysis showed that the hot water extract was more beneficial than the ethanol extract, except for histidine. The amino acids from the tail and the body of the scorpion were compared, and the concentration of aspartic acid in the extract from the scorpion's tail was two times that found in the extract from its body. The results of validation experiments were all satisfactory. Conclusion: Studies on the ingredients in extracts from a scorpion other than buthotoxin may demonstrate that the antiepileptic efficacy, anticancer activity, anti-thrombotic action and analgesic effect are enhanced. Using only the tail of the scorpion when pharmacopuncture is dispensed may be beneficial because the extracts from the tail of the scorpion have higher potency than those from the whole body.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.201-207
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• 2017

Background: The blunted tip of a reusable with multiple uses can cause problems with the passing procedure in arthroscopic Bankart repair. This study assessed the advantage of Scorpion with a $70^{\circ}$ arthroscope in arthroscopic Bankart repair compared to hook typed suture passer. Methods: Scorpion in 19 patients, the hook type suture passer (conventional group) in 18 patients were used. All patients underwent the same procedure except for the type of suture passer used. Another different point of the procedure were telescopes and the number of portals used; three arthroscopic portals (posterior, anterorsuperiorlateral, and mid-anterior) and a $30^{\circ}$ arthroscope in the conventional group, but two portals and a $70^{\circ}$ arthroscope as well as the $30^{\circ}$ one in the Scorpion group. The surgery time and the surgical complications including an iatrogenic axillary nerve injury were recorded. Results: The Scorpion group showed a significant decrease in surgery time compared to the conventional group. In contrast to the conventional group, Scorpion provided an easy estimation of the exit of suture passing, no iatrogenic labral injury during the passing procedure with straight movement and the sharp tip of the knife installed. Iatrogenic supraspinatus injuries could be avoided when making an accessory anteosuperiorlateral portal due to the $70^{\circ}$ arthroscope. Conclusions: In arthroscopic Bankart repair, the use of the Scorpion suture passer and a $70^{\circ}$ arthroscope can reduce the surgery time, avoid unnecessary supraspinatus injury, and avoid iatrogenic axillary nerve damage through the relatively easy and precise suture passing and saving of the anterosuperior portal.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권7호
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• pp.2807-2811
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• 2015

Scorpion venom peptides recently have attracted attention as alternative chemotherapeutic agents that may overcome the limitations of current drugs, providing specific cytotoxicity for cancer cells with an ability to bypass multidrug-resistance mechanisms, additive effects in combination therapy and safety. In the present study, BmKn-2 scorpion venom peptide and its derivatives were chosen for assessment of anticancer activities. BmKn-2 was identified as the most effective against human oral squamous cells carcinoma cell line (HSC-4) by screening assays with an $IC_{50}$ value of $29{\mu}g/ml$. The BmKn-2 peptide killed HSC-4 cells through induction of apoptosis, as confirmed by phase contrast microscopy and RT-PCR techniques. Typical morphological features of apoptosis including cell shrinkage and rounding characteristics were observed in treated HSC-4 cells. The results were further confirmed by increased expression of pro-apoptotic genes such as caspase-3, -7, and -9 but decrease mRNA level of anti-apoptotic BCL-2 in BmKn-2 treated cells, as determined by RT-PCR assay. In summary, the BmKn-2 scorpion venom peptide demonstrates specific membrane binding, growth inhibition and apoptogenic activity against human oral cancer cells.

• 수산해양기술연구
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.156-160
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• 1999

제주 연안역에 있어서 해양목장의 음향순치 대상 어종으로 선정할 수 있는 연안 정착성 어류인 쏨뱅이의 청각 능력을 파악할 목적으로, 임의의 순음과 전기자극을 이용하여 육상수조에서 조건 학습시킨 후, 주파수와 음압을 임의로 변화시켜가면서 쏨뱅이의 심전도를 도출하여 심박간격의 변화로부터 청각 문턱치 곡선을 구한 결과, 쏨뱅이는 실험에서 사용한 측정 주파수 80Hz～800Hz의 순음을 인식하고 있었다. 각 주파수에 대한 청각감도는 주파수 80Hz～200Hz에서는 민감하게 나타났으나, 주파수 500Hz 이상에서는 감도가 급격히 나빠지고 있었다. 청각 문턱치는 주파수 100Hz에서 약 90㏈ 의 음압으로 최소였으며, 주파수 300Hz 이상에서 급격하게 상승하는 경향을 보이면서 주파수 500Hz에서 약 127㏈의 음압으로 최고치를 나타내었다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.260-265
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• 2020

Scorpion venom comprises a cocktail of toxins that have proven to be useful molecular tools for studying the pharmacological properties of membrane ion channels. HelaTx1, a short peptide neurotoxin isolated recently from the venom of the scorpion Heterometrus laoticus, is a 25 amino acid peptide with two disulfide bonds that shares low sequence homology with other scorpion toxins. HelaTx1 effectively decreases the amplitude of the K⁺ currents of voltage-gated Kv1.1 and Kv1.6 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and was identified as the first toxin member of the κ-KTx5 subfamily, based on a sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis. In the present study, we report the NMR solution structure of HelaTx1, and the major interaction points for its binding to voltage-gated Kv1.1 channels. The NMR results indicate that HelaTx1 adopts a helix-loop-helix fold linked by two disulfide bonds without any β-sheets, resembling the molecular folding of other cysteine-stabilized helix-loop-helix (Cs α/α) scorpion toxins such as κ-hefutoxin, HeTx, and OmTx, as well as conotoxin pl14a. A series of alanine-scanning analogs revealed a broad surface on the toxin molecule largely comprising positively-charged residues that is crucial for interaction with voltage-gated Kv1.1 channels. Interestingly, the functional dyad, a key molecular determinant for activity against voltage-gated potassium channels in other toxins, is not present in HelaTx1.

• BMB Reports
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.284-291
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• 2006

In this study, the cDNA of a new peptide from the venom of the scorpion, Buthotus saulcyi, was cloned and sequenced. It codes for a 64 residues peptide (Bsaul1) which shares high sequence similarity with depressant insect toxins of scorpions. The differences between them mainly appear in the loop1 which connects the $\beta$-strand1 to the $\alpha$-helix and seems to be functionally important in long chain scorpion neurotoxins. This loop is three amino acids longer in Bsaul1 compared to other depressant toxins. A comparative amino acid sequence analysis done on Bsaul1 and some of $\alpha$-, $\beta$-, excitatory and depressant toxins of scorpions showed that Bsaul1 contains all the residues which are highly conserved among long chain scorpion neurotoxins. Structural model of Bsaul1 was generated using Ts1 (a $\beta$-toxin that competes with the depressant insect toxins for binding to $Na^+$ channels) as template. According to the molecular model of Bsaul1, the folding of the polypeptide chain is being composed of an anti-parallel three-stranded $\beta$-sheet and a stretch of $\alpha$-helix, tightly bound by a set of four disulfide bridges. A striking similarity in the spatial arrangement of some critical residues was shown by superposition of the backbone conformation of Bsaul1 and Ts1.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.721-727
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• 2007

Scorpion (SCP) has been clinically used for the treatment of endogenous wind to relieve convulsion, clearing away toxins, resolving hard masses and removing obstruction in the collaterals to relieve pain. Recent studies showed that scorpion toxins that affect the activating mechanism of sodium channels and indian black scorpion venom induced anti-proliferative and apoptogenic activity against human leukemic cell lines U937 and K562. There is lack of studies regarding the effects of SCP on the immunological activities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of SCP on the regulatory effects of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. After the treatment of SCP MeOH extract dissolved in media for 1 h prior to the addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS: 1 ${\mu}$g/ml), cell viability was measured by MTT assay, NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was determined by immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. As results, SCP inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate (0.3 and 1.0 mg/ml), iNOS and p-$I_KB_{\alpha}$ protein, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (0.3 and 1.0 mg/ml), interleukin-1${\beta}$ (0.3 and 1.0 mg/ml) and interleukin-6 (1.0mg/ml) in Raw 264.7 cells activated with LPS. These findings suggest that SCP can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• 수산해양기술연구
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.157-163
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• 2010

The indirect target strength (TS) estimation method which uses the Kirchhoff ray mode model (KRM model) was discussed to apply for a biomass estimation in the water of mixed species. TS of 25 live scorpion fishes for 120kHz were measured by a tethered method and of others dominant 5 species in the marine ranching ground of Jeju coastal water including a scorpion fish were also estimated by KRM model. The measurement TS of scorpion fish well agreed with the theoretical values and the standard formula of scorpion fish was estimated as $TS_{120kHz}=20Log\;(L)-72.9$ ($r^2=0.67$). TScm values estimated on trial to each sample of dominant 5 species were from -69.3dB to -75.1dB at 120kHz and they were in the general range of swimbladdered fish. It was clarified that TS by KRM model can be used to estimate fish biomass estimation by increasing a sample number and is more effective under the condition that there is rare TS information for inhabiting species in mixed-species area.

• BMB Reports
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• 제43권12호
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• pp.801-806
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• 2010

The existence of glycine residues in long-chain scorpion toxins has been well documented. However, their role as analgesics has not been evaluated. To address this issue, we investigated the functional role of glycines in the C-terminal end of Chinese-scorpion toxin from Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK AGP-SYPU2) using site-directed mutagenesis and analgesic activity assays. Recombinant BmK AGP-SYPU2 and its mutants were efficiently expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) and cation exchange chromatography. The mouse-twisting test was used to detect the analgesic activity of BmK AGP-SYPU2 and its mutants. As a result, we identified glycines at the C-terminal end that, when altered, significantly affected analgesic activity. Also, Mut6566 was significantly decreased compared to BmK AGP-SYPU2. These data indicate that the glycines at the C-terminal end are important for the analgesic activity of BmK AGP-SYPU2.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.193-196
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• 2006

이 연구는 태생경골어인 쏨뱅이의 번식생태학적 기초자료를 제공하고자 체내 자어와 출산 후의 시원생식세포의 출현, 원시 생식소와 난소 분화과정을 조직학적으로 조사하였다. 약 $10\;{\mu}m$의 시원생식 세포는 체내 자어의 초기 소화관과 중심신관 사이 복막에 위치하였다. 출산 후 31일째부터 생식원세포가 생식원기에 도달하였으며, 체세포들이 분열 증식하여 원시생식소를 형성하였고, 출산 후 49일째에 난소강이 형성되기 시작하였으며, 출산 후 60일째에 생식원기의 양쪽 끝에서부터 난소강 형성이 관찰되었다. 출산 후 79일째에는 난소강 안쪽을 따라 생식세포들이 분열 증식하기 시작하였다.